Home for the heteronomous

Spoiler Alert Thursday: Open Thread

Is there anything good on? Anything I should be renting through Netflix to get me through the summer? I’ve been watching Spaced this week and will write on it when I finish the series, and I am belatedly getting around to Crime Story (at least the first season) — so what else?

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There was a legendarily brilliant political satire (although satire doesn’t really do it justice) in Britain a few years ago called The Thick of It. I’m pretty sure the writing is good enough to travel even if the context (an allegory of the New Labour government) is a little specific. You’d like the awkwardness. It span off into a recent film, In the Loop, which I can’t make any comment about as I haven’t seen it.

Comment by RobDP |
June 18, 2009

I’ve been enjoying the original BBC State of Play. Bill Nighy in particular is wonderful to watch as the editor — he operates in a state of jovial distraction, while always giving off the sense that if he ever turns his attention to the matter at hand, he will incinerate it.

It is not particularly awkward. But there’s a Scottish reporter with a beautiful accent. I would watch all 6 hours again just to hear her sing the word “murder” two or three times.

Comment by Wrongshore |
June 18, 2009

As reported last week, I caught up on “True Blood.” It isn’t as despicable as presenting in comments by others, but then I’m not an American and the south has a different meaning, no doubt, to me than it does to Americans. I’m a little annoyed at Admiral Cain – I really don’t care what her story is, in the same way that I didn’t really care what Sam’s story was. Just get to it: is she also a shapeshifter? is she something else? The potential for a werewolf as bad-guy is appealing. Note that Raelle Tucker is a writer/producer for this series and she is a writer “Supernatural” – in “Supernatural’s” mythology, werewolves eat hearts, precisely what happened to Miss Jeannette. I don’t understand Jason’s conversion to the “Fellowship of the Sun” except as a way to have a pro- and anti-vampire divide between Jason and Sookie. The way Eric killed Royce was pretty awesome.

After the first season, I am confident in concluding that the show is fundamentally about the ethics of consumptions.

“The Thick of It” was truly brilliant. Unfourtunately there was only one season, as the star of the show was subsequenctly arrested for owning child porn or some such thing.

Comment by DrP |
June 18, 2009

For sheer unhinged crazy from start to finish, the third season of “Big Love” is pretty hard to top. Harry Dean Stanton is remarkably solid for a man who’s, oh, 137 years old or so.

Comment by Michael Schaefer |
June 18, 2009

I love Crime Story.

Here’s some suggestions:

Ultraviolet (the BBC show about vampires, not the horrid vampire movie with Milla Jovovich)

Prime Suspect is pretty good.

I liked Jekyll.

Have you tried American Gothic?

Comment by burritoboy |
June 18, 2009

DrP: a second season is apparently in the offing, though unfortunately without the wonderful (and quite possibly “innocent” — though I’m not gonna wade too much into that one) Chris Langham. Apparently it will be a bit longer than the last one and has been upgraded to BBC2. Will be interesting to see how they deal with the new climate — it seemed to me like the expenses scandal was something straight out of The Thick of It anyway! The post-season 1 specials are.. special.

Comment by RobDP |
June 18, 2009

Extras – season 1 and 2 and special
The Mighty Boosh – many seasons
Carnivale – good vs. evil? dust bowl era gnosticism
Burn Notice – Bruce Campbell!! crisp and fun fluff
Generation Kill – I haven’t seen this but it is The Wire related and Ziggy Sobotka is in it
Let the Right One In – swedish vampire movie, I have many theories on subtexts regarding violence/revenge
Brick – film nior set in high school
awkwardness much? – Lars Von Trier movies

Comment by seethe |
June 18, 2009

Looking forward to your commments on Spaced – it’s long been a favourite of mine.

If you want awkwardness then you have to watch Peep Show – possibly the best British comedy of the last 10 years.

Comment by Don |
June 19, 2009

My wife brought home the first season of Dead Like Me after borrowing it from a co-worker and that’s been pretty enjoyable through the first eight or so episodes. Though I read on Wikipedia one of the co-creators split as the show progressed due to creative differences, but I don’t think that was until the second season.